3.1 Lifeboat Ethics

   When compared to a lifeboat, as author Garret Hardin describes it, the world functions on a nearly identical system. People will always need rescuing. People will always need help. People will always be asked to sacrifice themselves or their necessities in order to help another. The only problem with doing so is blatant: sacrificing one person for another gets the same result. One person makes it, one does not. The numbers never change. So why must we spend all of this effort to unproductively "save" people?
Morally, people are raised to always help their neighbors, to help those who are less fortunate than they are.While this is a good thing to do in order to maintain a small scale balance, it is a system that cannot be applied to a large scale society. In a small community, if a family has no money and the town all pitches in to get their meals and shelter, that's one thing. that is a situation that can be successfully achieved. However, the amount of people in poverty throughout the world is so high that for everyone to be considered well-off and no longer in need is impossible. There are simply too many people and not enough money. There is not enough to be shared. If one who is well-off was to completely provide for someone in a third world country, that impoverished person would "be saved," yet the wealthier man would have lost all of his money to the other, and the roles would have simply switched. The world would be in a constant state of passing off the needs to another.
In part with the lifeboat metaphor comes the issue of providing government handouts and financial aid. Yet there is only so much money in a country. (In the case of the United States, there is negative money). So who determines where that money goes? There is not enough to help everyone who needs it. Would it be better to stretch that money as thinly as possible between the maximum amount of people, or give it to the few that are already in that country and give them more? Giving a little to everyone may temporarily help more people, but in the long run, saves no one. Giving a lot to a few does not affect as many but saves those few. No matter how you approach it, a few is always greater than none.
Essentially, though our largely Christian-based moralities have been engrained in us to help as many as we can, we must realize that there comes a time when our own survival comes first. If we are not taken care of, we cannot possibly help someone else. If someone donates all of their money to someone less fortunate than they are, all that has happened was a role switch. One man is still wealthy while another is still in poverty. The numbers never change. Helping the poor with government aid and such sounds like a good idea in theory, and even works successfully in a small scale environment, but will never be successful in a large society.

Week 1.4

"And with this doubt his whole statement fell to pieces and I wondered if there wasn’t something a little sinister about him after all.” (Chapter 4)

-While Gatsby tells Nick about how he became so wealthy, some of the things he says start to not fit with what Nick has been told and sound fake. Nick can tell that Gatsby sometimes seems like he is not being completely honest and he does not fully trust him. Gatsby is still an interesting character though so Nick is drawn to him. Gatsby seems to become idolized as a “character” in the novel, or someone who is good at acting. While Gatsby is telling Nick about how he went to college at Oxford University, it appears to Nick that Gatsby stumbled over his sentences and it did not seem true.

“But it wasn’t a coincidence at all…Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay.” (Chapter 4)

-The mystery of why Gatsby would choose to live where he does is unraveled. Jordan Baker reveals to Nick that Gatsby and Daisy used to be in love before she got married to Tom. Gatsby had gone off to war and so things ended between them, although five years later Gatsby is still in love with Daisy and bought the house so that he could be close to her again. He wants to impress her with the fine things in his life and possibly win her back. This is the author’s way of showing forbidden love as a theme in the story. Daisy and Gatsby’s love is forbidden because she is now married and they have not talked to each other for the last five years.

“He had been full of the idea so long, dreamed it right through to the end, waited with his teeth set, so to speak, at an inconceivable pitch of intensity. Now, in reaction, he was running down like an over wound clock.” (Chapter 5)

-Jay Gatsby had been dreaming of the day that he could take Daisy into his home and see her reaction for such a long time, that now that it is actually happening, he hardly knows how to handle himself. His usual cool and elegant demeanor is completely torn away in the presence of his young love, Daisy. She brings out the innocent and loveable side of Gatsby, opposed to the sinister and seemingly mischievous side of him. The statement “running down like an over wound clock” is ironic because of Gatsby’s accident with dropping the clock in Nick’s home, as well as the author’s repeated reference to how long it has been since Daisy and Gatsby have seen each other.

“While we admired he brought more and the soft rich heap mounted higher-shirts with stripes and scrolls and plaids in coral and apple and green and….” (Chapter 5)

-The author’s use of polysyndeton is effective for this sentence because it shows a seemingly never ending supply of Gatsby’s luxurious shirts as well as other items. This image is almost overwhelming and certainly overpowering for Daisy, seeing as she begins to cry while Gatsby displays his fine clothing for Nick and Daisy to see. He wants to impress Daisy and by using a long, never ending sentence, the author shows that Gatsby has been waiting a long time to try and fulfill his desperate need to put emphasis on his wealth. Daisy is astonished by the way Gatsby now lives and it is clear that although he is different from the man he once was, there are genuine feelings between them both.

"Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever. Compared to the great distance that had separated him from Daisy it had seemed very near to her, almost touching her. It had seemed as close as a star to the moon." (Chapter 5)

-Despite the fact that Daisy and Gatsby are standing very close to each other, it is evident that mentally and emotionally they are “as close as a star to the moon.” The light on Daisy’s dock across the bay that Jay looks at every night is a metaphor for their strained relationship. Even though the only desire Gatsby has is to win the affection of Daisy and marry her, he knows that goal is very far away. Five years of waiting and unfinished emotional business, and they seem to be very distant from each other in spite of standing right next to each other.

Week 1.3 Let Teenagers Try Adulthood

       The author's argument that American high school is obsolete and should be abolished is completely ludicrous. High school is an essential part of life and is the foundation for what a person becomes in the rest of their life. The author focuses mainly on what the negatives of high school are, for instance cliques and the artificial intensity of a world defined by insiders and outsiders. This can be true in high school although it is not something one should base their judgment of high school on.

       High School is necessary because it is the stage in life where you begin to feel freedoms and gain privileges that adults already have. In the words of Peter Pan, “Well, I will not grow up. You cannot make me!" Being a teenager is one of the things in life that you can be a kid for a while. You have the rest of your life to live and be an adult after high school, but trying to age teens is a robbery of their life and happiness. Some teenagers may disagree with that statement, although it is illogical to think differently. If someone honestly wanted to be grown up and privileged at age 16, it is not impossible. That one person should feel free to strive to be with the adults. For now, letting teenagers be teenagers is the one thing that will shape them to be who they are going to be in the future. It is at this time that a person must grow and learn from silly childish mistakes. Without this time, it would be hard to find out who you are as a person and discover what you want to do with your life; this would not be an easy task if you have the constant stress of being an adult on your mind.

       It is true that by the time those who graduate from high school go on to college and realize what really is at stake in becoming an adult, too many opportunities have been lost and too much time has been wasted. This is because many teenagers blow off high school and do not take it as seriously as they should during their crucial junior and senior year. Although, it is inaccurate that young people should graduate at 16 rather than 18. This is way too young and it would not be wise to believe that sixteen year olds are capable of acting like adults; teenagers that are of that age in this generation are simply not mature enough to start adulthood at this age.  If teens started college earlier, it would most likely result in the same “cliques and artificial intensity” that the author was trying to avoid. People of this age are simply not mature enough to have another way of making friends. No adults would take 16 year olds seriously; it would not be an easier way of life. In fact, it would be harder for a 16 year old to fit in with adults, than it would be for them to fit in with other teens their own age.

(Word Count: 518)

Week 1.2 The Great Gatsby: Chapters 1 - 3

(1) “A sense of the fundamental decencies is parceled out unequally at birth.” (Chapter 1)

When the main character of The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway, was a child his father gave him the advice not to be judgmental of people who were not born into the same privileges as he was. This is the advice that he prides himself in living with. The words of his father have guided in him in his decision to move to New York as well as the way he treats others. His thoughts regarding others however always seem to start off as a judgment and then he has to be reminded of what his father told him. In other words, thinking in this manner does not come easily to him. (Words: 111)

(2) “Reserving judgments is a matter of infinite hope.” (Chapter 1)

Nick finds himself however losing his ability not to judge others in the West Egg. He finds out that living there is difficult for his values and he begins to stray away from his morals in the first chapter, although, there is “infinite” hope for him to not judge others. This sentence is short but effective because this is how Nick bases his everyday life on. He uses the word “hope” to promote the belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in his life.  The sentence is simple, as is his lifestyle and what he tries to accomplish with his social ability. (Words: 105)

 

(3) “I’m inclined to reserve all judgments, a habit that has opened up many curious natures to me and also made me the victim of not a few veteran bores.” (Chapter 1)

The author continues to mention that Nick reserves his judgments and prides himself in being an open minded and decent person for his values. Although he is challenged in living in New York because many of the inhabitants of East Egg and West Egg use an outward show of wealth to cover up their inner dishonesty and moral deterioration. Nick’s description of his life in New York likewise calls attention to the difference between material things and appearance, as it stresses both the extravagant glamor of the city and its dangerous lack of stability. The two classes that border each other create an unsteady feel to the society. (Words: 110)

 

(4) “Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction — Gatsby, who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn.” (Chapter 1)

Here the author shows that Gatsby undoubtedly poses a challenge to Nick’s customary ways of thinking about the world, and Nick’s struggle to come to terms with that challenge transforms everything in the novel. Gatsby seems to use his resources to disguise something profound in his life, unlike the rest of the town that uses their money and objects to hide their inner sorrows. Nick is drawn to Gatsby because of his mysterious charm and politeness and he is interested in knowing the truth about Gatsby and can therefor overlook his initial thoughts about him. Gatsby is almost like the exception to Nick’s rule. (Words 104)

 

(5) “It made no difference to me. Dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never blame deeply — I was casually sorry, and then I forgot.” (Chapter 3)

Nick feels similarly conflicted about Jordan. He realizes that she is dishonest, selfish, and cynical, but he is attracted to her strength nevertheless. Their potential relationship highlights the extent to which Nick becomes accustomed to life in the East, leaving behind his Midwestern values and concerns in order to take advantage of the excitement of his new surroundings. This is very contradictory to his original goal in Chapter one, and it also seems contradictory for him to not “blame” Miss Baker for her dishonest. Living in the East has changed him not only with his thinking but with his morals. (Words 100)